Moonbeams
by yasha012
Summary: Sometimes, on nights like these, he wondered why he even bothered with this place. So often, he found himself sitting on this rooftop and just gazing at the moon as he thought about everything. But... those few people brightened his world some, made this all worth it by bringing some color and warmth back into his life. In the light of the moon, he swore he saw hope... Oneshot.


**PLEASE READ THE NOTE BELOW, AS IT EXPLAINS ABOUT THIS STORY.**

 **A** **quick A/N: I didn't write this fic because I like this show or anything (I'm fairly indifferent toward it, though I have seen a number of episodes thanks to my little cousin). Instead, I wrote this because of a friend of mine. We were playing truth or dare, and she made me swear to follow through with any dares she gave me. One such dare was to write one fic (oneshots were fine) about a children's TV show. She gave me three options (Paw Patrol, Bubble Guppies, and Miffy). The catch? It had to be either a so-called "gritty reboot" or just plain old something more mature and whatnot than the actual show.**

 **After receiving this dare, I turned around and had other friends vote on which one I should do. Overwhelmingly for some reason, it was Paw Patrol (it's apparently popular). So, I set to writing, and this is what happened. It's by no means my best work, but I do still hope you all enjoy it.**

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Once upon a time, a number of years ago, life had been wonderful. Everything had been as close to perfect as life could get. Back then, he had had a close group of friends. The work he had done in his community had been acknowledged, praised, and even coveted by some. He'd had a leader who had made sure never to lead the team astray. Life had seemed full of vibrant colors and warm smiles and laughter. But now… now, everything was vastly different. His life had changed drastically since the days of his youth, and not exactly for the best.

Now… Now, he was alone. He had no friends, no leader, not even so much as a friendly neighbor. His work when unappreciated, perhaps was even done in vain because the crime in this city just never seemed to lessen and there was only so much one cop could do. No one smiled here, and they certainly didn't spend their days laughing. Everyone was dull, selfish, or even just plain scared. Even the colors here seemed… lifeless.

Sometimes, on nights like these, he wondered why he even bothered with this place. There were too many days when he worked himself practically to death for literally just about every second of the day, nabbing crooks and criminals of all kinds, saving lives, just trying to make a difference… And for what? Far too many people simply weren't grateful. He supposed that fact alone was a major contributor as to why, so often, he found himself sitting on this rooftop and just gazing at the moon as he thought about… everything.

To be honest, even ignoring how terribly ungrateful people were, he often found himself wishing for something more. Far too many nights just like this one were spent questioning why he didn't just _give up_ already, take a new job, leave the so-called "hero-work" to someone else. No matter how many crimes he stopped, no matter how many horrible people he jailed, no matter how often he nearly killed himself to get the job done, things just never seemed to change. Crime still continued, and the statistics didn't ever seem to improve. People still continued to live in fear, barring their windows and doors, keeping themselves armed, never letting their children stray too far from home… It was a bleak existence at best, and his wish to make a difference in this place seemed too far-fetched these days for his own good. He just wasn't helping anything, was he?

Shaking his head, the lone Shepherd trained his light brown eyes once more on the moon. A breeze whispered through his fur and around the many rooftops surrounding him, brushing away both some of his body heat and his earlier thoughts. _Who am I kidding… of course this all matters._ A small smirk tugged at brown furred lips, and his eyes closed for a moment as his head lowered. _I'm a fool every time I let myself think otherwise._ That was something he truly believed, especially when he recalled just how many times he had managed to prevent someone from being murdered or kidnapped or robbed or attacked or any number of other things. Most of _those_ people were grateful. If no one else, _they_ offered him smiles and words of deep gratitude, and it always made him feel unspeakably better each time he experienced those things. Even now, the memories of their smiles brought a smile to his face, and his eyes opened.

Though he did his job for the sake of everyone, _those_ were the people he kept in mind and close to his heart each day he again showed up for work in spite of all his hardships. Sure the statistics barely changed and life remained bleak overall, but… those few people brightened his world some, made this all worth it by bringing some color and warmth back into his life. Yes, it was true that his friends were gone, having all moved on to new cities and new lives just like he had, and yes it was true that he was more alone now than he had ever been, but…

In the light of the moon, he swore he saw _hope_.

Getting to his feet, Chase basked in the moon's soft rays for just a moment longer before turning and walking away, headed for the stairs that would take him down off of this roof and back onto the streets once more. Though he knew that his hardships would resume as soon as his paws touched the pavement, something beautiful kept him from dreading it as he usually did. He kept that something a special secret in his heart, always there for when he would need it next on nights just like this one. Still smiling to himself, he broke into a run and prepared to get to work once more. No matter what happened, he knew he would always be needed, and he never intended on giving up. The day he gave up was the day the moon ceased to shine… and he would never let that happen.

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 **852 words. Hope you all enjoyed this. Surprisingly, I actually had decent fun writing it. Posted (at about 9:30 p.m.) 02-16-17.**


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